1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to (i) a mobile terminal which recognizes a type of a subject so as to automatically switch to an image capturing mode suitable for the subject, (ii) a control method of the mobile terminal, (iii) a control program of the mobile terminal, and (iv) a computer-readable storage medium storing the control program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, mobile terminals having image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject, e.g., (i) portable phones such as PDCs (Personal Digital Cellular) and PHSs (Personal Handyphone System), and (ii) portable information terminal devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant), have allowed a user to select one of a plurality of image capturing modes in accordance with a subject. Examples of the plurality of image capturing modes are a character reading mode of recognizing a character, a bar code reading mode of recognizing a bar code, and a digital camera mode of capturing an image of a person and/or a landscape.
Unfortunately, conventional mobile terminals have required a user to manually select one of the image capturing modes after the image capturing means is started. Furthermore, in general, the conventional mobile terminals start in a default image capturing mode after the image capturing means is started, or start in an image capturing mode which has been previously used. Accordingly, a user has been required to manually select an image capturing mode in a case where the user would like to capture an image of a subject in an image capturing mode which is different from one in which the image capturing means is started. This has made user operation complicated.
As a solution to this, each of Patent Literatures 1 through 4 discloses an art for allowing easy switching of a plurality of image capturing modes.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an art as below. An image of one of sample screens of scenes such as a night view, a sport, and a macro is captured by a digital camera. Each of the sample screens is combined with a bar code or the like. The digital camera automatically selects an image capturing mode corresponding to the sample screen thus captured.
Patent Literature 2 discloses an art as below. An image of one of a plurality of bar codes is captured by a digital camera. The plurality of bar codes are removably attached to a strap of the digital camera. The digital camera automatically selects an image capturing mode in accordance with a type of data thus read in.
Patent Literature 3 discloses an art as below. A bar code containing operation mode information is captured by a camera block of a video camcorder so that the video camcorder automatically selects a desired operation mode in accordance with data of the bar code thus captured. Patent Literature 4 discloses an art as below. A bar code indicative of, e.g., aperture information and shutter speed information is read by a code reading apparatus so that a program for causing a camera to operate in accordance with a code signal thus read is automatically set in the camera.